Elmhurst College receives grant to expand dining hall composting

Students returning to Elmhurst College this fall can rest assured that their impact on the environment, down to the bowls and cups they use in the dining room, is being reduced.

The college recently received a nearly $29,000 grant to expand its composting efforts.

The grant for $28,782 was awarded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's Food Scrap Composting Program. The grant, along with $7,000 from the college, will cover the purchase of a grinder that will be used to keep food scraps and other materials from ending up in landfills.

The grinder will be used to reduce the volume of bowls, cups and utensils.

"The plates, cups and utensils are all compostable," service manager Mark Wakely said.

The college's composting efforts began a year ago when it started recycling food scraps. It also asked its food service contractor to provide cups and bowls that can be composted.

He said the college's waste hauler, Waste Management, picks up items twice per week for composting. Eventually, he said, the company sells the composted material as fertilizer and for other uses. He said the college does not receive any revenue from the sale of the composted materials.

The grinder will reduce the volume of bowls, plates and other items made of compostable materials, making it easier for haulers to collect and increasing the speed of decomposition.

The grinder will be installed by the time students arrive for the new school year. Once it is up and running, Wakely estimates the college could generate as much as 900 gallons of compostable material and food scraps per week.

He said the college currently produces about 3.5 cubic yards of compostable materials per week. He expects that to increase with the use of the grinder.

"Now we hope to capture everything," he said.

He said the college also is constructing a new corral to hold items that will be collected for composting.

A sustainability committee composed of students, faculty and administrators works to promote sustainable practices on the campus. A sustainability plan examines how resources are used on campus and promotes ways to make the college more environmentally friendly.